1. In Lakeland, across the area, quite a few bass were caught using shiners, while some have had luck using pearl and white soft plastics for trailers on chatter bait. The speck bite on lakes Juliana, Crago and Mattie has been good as well using minnows, reports Phillips Bait and Tackle (863-666-2248).
2. In Auburndale and Lake Alfred, on lakes Ariana and Juliana, the speck bite has been great in terms of limits and size. Bass are staging, with an 8-pounder reported out of Lake Juliana. On lakes Alfred, Rochelle and Haines, the speck bite has been great for size. Bass in the 6- to 8-pound range have been reported. If you like to sight fish, now’s the time because the fish are getting ready to spawn. Catch and release is recommended to keep the population up, says Ron Schelfo at Ron’s Tackle Box (863-956-4990).
3. It Winter Haven, plenty of bass have been caught with lakes Hartridge, Cannon, Shipp and Summit all producing 6- to 9-pound catches on a variety of bait, according to Schelfo. Capt. Bill Goudy says bass are being caught from all depths ranging from 3-to-27 feet. Soft or hard jerk bait, square-bill crank bait and shiners have all produced nice-sized fish. For a guided fishing trip with Capt. Goudy, call Bass Online (888-629-2277).